A US court denies the FTC's preliminary injunction bid to stop Microsoft's Activision deal, as the FTC “has not shown it is likely to succeed” in showing harm
Context & Ripple Effects
The FTC had sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Microsoft's Activision acquisition, making the court's assessment of likely competitive harm the pivotal early test of the agency's case. The decision follows the FTC's request for emergency court intervention rather than a final merits ruling.
The immediate litigation arc remained active: related coverage records a subsequent failed request to stay the transaction and an appeal seeking further injunctive relief. That makes this ruling consequential both for the deal timetable and for the FTC's ability to use preliminary remedies to preserve its challenge.
First-order effects
- Microsoft and Activision gain a clearer near-term path to proceed because the FTC did not win the preliminary injunction it sought.
- The FTC loses its requested pre-closing court remedy and must pursue any remaining challenge without this initial injunction.
Second-order effects
- The ruling puts pressure on the FTC to persuade an appellate court that interim relief is warranted, a route reflected in the later Ninth Circuit appeal denial.
- For large game-industry transactions, the decision underscores that enforcement agencies need to establish likely harm early when seeking to halt a deal before closing.
Third-order effects
- If courts continue to reject preliminary relief in contested technology deals, merger enforcement may increasingly turn on post-closing litigation and remedies rather than stopping transactions upfront.
- The case also highlights an unresolved institutional question: whether existing preliminary-injunction standards give competition agencies enough room to address potential harms in platform markets before integration occurs.
The trend: This is one data point in the broader test of how effectively US antitrust enforcement can use interim court orders to challenge major technology-platform acquisitions.
Related: Microsoft · Activision · FTC · FTC seeks restraining order and injunction · Ninth Circuit denies FTC appeal for injunction
Related Coverage
- Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard The Verge
- Microsoft's Activision deal could face ‘new merger investigation,’ UK regulator warns The Verge
- Judge rejects FTC's attempt to block Microsoft's $69 billion Activision deal Washington Post
- Court ruling changes the game for Microsoft's $75bn Activision deal Financial Times
- Microsoft Cleared to Buy Activision in US as UK Pauses Fight Bloomberg
- Microsoft wins FTC trial, can proceed with Activision Blizzard merger Game Developer
- Microsoft's Activision acquisition moves ahead as judge rejects FTC injunction request Engadget
- Microsoft Can Close Its $75 Billion Buy of Activision Blizzard, Judge Rules Wall Street Journal
- 5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens Wednesday NBC 7 San Diego
- Microsoft, Activision defeat FTC's bid to block $69B deal Politico
- California judge denies the FTC's preliminary injunction against Microsoft Pocket Gamer.biz
- The FTC is Reportedly “Leaning Toward” Filing an Appeal Against Microsoft-Activision Court Ruling GamingBolt
- FTC Pause on Microsoft-Activision Dismissed; Temasek's Value Falls ExchangeWire.com
- Sony Drops in Wake of Ruling Favoring Microsoft-Activision Deal Bloomberg
- Microsoft Wins FTC battle to Acquire Activision Blizzard, FTC May Appeal Verdict MySmartPrice
- Microsoft's historic $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard can go ahead, U.S. judge rules Mashable
- Microsoft May Agree to ‘Small Divestiture’ with the CMA While FTC Still Wants to Fight - Reports Wccftech
- Start Up No.2037: US court approves Microsoft-Activision deal, Samsung chases Vision Pro, here come the AI engineers, and more The Overspill
- What happens to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard post-FTC? VentureBeat
- Microsoft Has Won Against The FTC In Court Over Its Activision Blizzard Buyout Press Start
- US judge rules Microsoft deal to buy Activision can go forward Reuters
- Judge Rejects F.T.C. Delay of $70 Billion Microsoft-Activision Deal New York Times
- Microsoft wins case against FTC to acquire Activision Blizzard Stevivor
- Microsoft has won its US court case to acquire Activision Blizzard Video Games Chronicle
- Judge Rules for Microsoft: Mergers Are Good BIG
- FTC loses bid to block Microsoft Activision deal PC Games Insider
- The acquisition of Activision is “bad for Sony, but good for” gamers according to judge Gamereactor UK
- Microsoft defeats the FTC in federal court, gaining the go-ahead on Activision Blizzard acquisition TechSpot
- Activision Blizzard Stock Jumps After FTC Ruling Game Rant
- Judge Blocks FTC From Preventing Microsoft's Activision Bid ExtremeTech
- Judge shoots down FTC attempt to stall Microsoft-Activision merger The Register
- U.S. federal Judge Corley finally rules on Microsoft's Xbox-ABK deal: Microsoft WINS Windows Central
- Judge paves way for Microsoft, Activision deal to close this month Seattle Business Journal
- After FTC loses in court over Microsoft/Activision deal, UK's CMA agrees to pause litigation to work out a deal OnMSFT.com
- Activision Stock Jumps As U.S. Judge Clears Hurdle To Microsoft Buyout Investor's Business Daily
- US approves Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal, UK agrees to renegotiate Android Authority
- Judge Rejects FTC Move to Halt $69B Microsoft-Activision Deal Newser
- California court gives Microsoft and Activision a reason to celebrate—but their $69 billion deal isn't a sure thing yet Fortune
- Microsoft-Activision Deal Allowed to Proceed, Rules Judge iPhone in Canada Blog
- Judge sides with Microsoft in FTC injunction, unlocking final Activision battles Ars Technica
- Gamers celebrate Microsoft beating FTC in court to buy Activision: 'It's finally over' Dot Esports
- Microsoft and UK regulator return to negotiating table over Activision Polygon
- Microsoft Wins against FTC: Activision Merger Can Move Forward after Court Ruling WinBuzzer
- Microsoft Prevails Over FTC: US Judge Denies Bid to Block Activision Deal PCMag
- Game-Changing Decision: Microsoft Clears Path for Activision Blizzard Deal Gizchina
- Microsoft-Activision deal can proceed, US court rules Silicon Republic
- US Judge rejects FTC's injunction request against Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal KitGuru
- Microsoft has won its Activision Blizzard acquisiton case with the FTC TechRadar
- Federal Judge Rejects FTC Effort To Halt Microsoft-Activision Merger Deadline
- Microsoft Wins Court Battle Against FTC Over Activision Blizzard Acquisition Kotaku
- Source: the FTC is leaning toward appealing the judge's Microsoft-Activision ruling; an appeal could be filed as soon as July 12 Bloomberg
- The FTC has stayed taking Ls (losses) in recent years. A judge just dismissed the FTC's attempt to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision. — This is what happens when instead of focusing on its mission of protecting consumers, the FTC succumbed to the anti big tech narrative being pushed my media like the NYT. … @carnage4life@mas.to
Discussion
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Gameranx
Ryan Parreno
on x
This Is Why Judge Corley Decided For Microsoft & Against The FTC
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Vox
Sara Morrison
on x
The FTC's case against Microsoft's Activision acquisition is not going well
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@bradsmi
Brad Smith
on x
Our statement on today's decision: https://twitter.com/... [image]
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@xboxp3
Phil Spencer
on x
1/We're grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC's claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don't reflect the realities of the gaming market.
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@xboxp3
Phil Spencer
on x
2/Since we first announced this deal, our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices has only grown. We've signed multiple agreements to make Activision Blizzard's games, Xbox first party games and Game Pass all available to more players than they are today.
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@lulumeservey
Lulu Cheng Meservey
on x
The legal system worked: A fair and neutral court has reached the correct conclusion about Activision Blizzard's merger with Microsoft based on facts and the law. The judge's ruling rejects the FTC's ideologically-driven attempt to prevent a deal that benefits gamers and allows..…
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@fosspatents
Florian Mueller
on x
Here's the document. 53 pages. Public redacted version. So contrary to what she said at the hearing, she made a public version available immediately, which is great! I'm studying it now and will share observations in this developing thread. https://www.documentcloud.org/ ... 🧵3/X
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@tomwarren
Tom Warren
on x
BREAKING: Microsoft has won its FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard. Judge Corley has denied the FTC's preliminary injunction request. Details here: https://www.theverge.com/...
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@tomwarren
Tom Warren
on x
“Microsoft and the CMA have agreed on a small divestiture to address the regulator's concerns, CNBC's David Faber reported.” Any such divestiture will be related to cloud gaming in the UK, so it'll be interesting to see what has been agreed here 🤔 https://www.cnbc.com/...
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@fosspatents
Florian Mueller
on x
WE HAVE THE DECISION! FTC LOST! Microsoft-ABK can close! “. After considering the parties' voluminous pre-and-post hearing writing submissions, and having held a five-day evidentiary hearing, the Court DENIES the motion for preliminary injunction. The FTC has not shown” 🧵1/X
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@jeffnolan
Jeff Nolan
on x
Lina Khan's winless streak continues. https://twitter.com/...
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@tomwarren
Tom Warren
on x
here's Judge Corley saying the “FTC's heavy reliance on [Jim] Ryan's testimony is unpersuasive” and that Microsoft's Call of Duty deals for Nintendo Switch and cloud are “perhaps bad for Sony. But good for Call of Duty gamers and future gamers.” [image]
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@genepark
Gene Park
on x
the political ramifications of the Xbox Activision court win. important to note that a Biden appointed judge ruled against the Biden appointed FTC. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]
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@lons
Lon Harris
on x
The idea that Xbox owner Microsoft also owning the largest video game publisher in N. America doesn't present any kind of threat to fair and open competition is laughable. https://twitter.com/...
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@tomwarren
Tom Warren
on x
so what happens next with Microsoft's proposed Activision Blizzard deal? The FTC has to make a decision whether to appeal by Friday night. If it walks away (as it normally does) then Microsoft is free to close once the CMA negotiation is compete. Otherwise it's up to the 9th... h…
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@matthewstoller
Matt Stoller
on x
Re: Microsoft-Activision, when a Biden judge - whose son works at Microsoft - lets the biggest tech merger of all time go through, we have a serious problem with the judiciary. There was massive amounts of evidence that Microsoft's goal is monopolization.
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@hoeglaw
Richard Hoeg
on x
Judge on Microsoft x Activision (and Sony). [image]
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@fosspatents
Florian Mueller
on x
A fair and neutral court — not only that, it even was the FTC's preference! Microsoft even offered the FTC a “goodie” for litigating this in the District of Columbia because of existing vertical-merger caselaw. And now things are on the right track in the UK as well. Amazing. htt…
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@zck
Zak Kukoff
on x
Plain and simple : If you need : - Anti-trust that protects consumers - A pro-growth economy - to not blame everything on monopolies Lina Khan is not the right FTC chair for you . If these things bring you to a place of happiness I support it. These are my boundaries https://twit…
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@macton93
Michael Acton
on x
#Microsoft #Activision - per the order, the FTC has until midnight Jul. 14 to get appeals court to issue a stay on today's order. I expect the FTC will give it a shot. Question is what grounds it will appeal on.
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@kellen_browning
Kellen Browning
on x
Activision stock up 11 percent today after the judge's decision, laying the groundwork for it to close with Microsoft. [image]
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@gerberkawasaki
Ross Gerber
on x
Super stoked. The stupid FTC loses their bid to block the Microsoft Activision deal. Call of Duty fans are saved from Bobby and a strong decision by the Courts! $ATVI $MSFT
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@fosspatents
Florian Mueller
on x
Microsoft and Activision don't need a PI decision in a strict sense. The FTC does. All that the 2 companies need is for the TRO to go away without being replaced with a PI. I've explained why the TRO itself can't realistically kill the deal. It only has a few days left either way
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@econliberties
@econliberties
on x
Today a judge in California declined @FTC's request to halt the Microsoft-Activision deal until they could review it later this year. That's disappointing, but the Commission can and should still challenge it in administrative court. Here's why.👇🧵 https://www.economicliberties.us…
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@benbajarin
Ben Bajarin
on x
Can Microsoft save COD. That is the question for me. Also selfishly, lol. https://twitter.com/...
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@eriqgardner
@eriqgardner
on x
Going to be an interesting appeal, but Microsoft gets a big victory against the FTC's push against the vertical acquisition of Activision [image]
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@mr_rebs_
@mr_rebs_
on x
FTC has lost and Microsoft can acquire Activision Blizzard! “...the Court DENIES the motion for preliminary injunction. The FTC has not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of…
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@jaredmellott
Jared Mellott
on x
Biden/Khan FTC has just lost its court case against Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. #FTC's case was always a stretch and reflected Biden FTC's anti-capitalist mindset contrary to law. $MSFT #merger https://twitter.com/...
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@charlieintel
@charlieintel
on x
BREAKING: Microsoft wins. Federal Judge has DENIED the FTC's preliminary injunction, allowing Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard in the US. This still leaves the UK CMA block to get through to close the deal worldwide. [image]
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@cecianasta
Cecilia D'Anastasio
on x
From the decision: Judge is skeptical that Microsoft will pull Call of Duty from PlayStation or lessen competition should the Activision Blizzard acquisition finalize [image]
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@dinabass
Dina Bass
on x
With Microsoft prevailing over the FTC in a US court and Judge Corley refusing to issue a preliminary injunction to block the Activision deal, all eyes will now turn across the pond to the UK's CMA.
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@austinnotduncan
Austin Evans
on x
Also big news. Seems very likely Microsoft + Activision is going to happen at this point. https://twitter.com/...
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r/XboxSeriesX
r
on reddit
CNBC: Microsoft and the CMA have agreed on a small divestiture to address the regulator's concerns
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r/classicwow
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Microsoft wins FTC case to buy ActiBlizzard - Not directly related to WoW, but we've seen the effects of mergers in the past. …
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r/XboxSeriesS
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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r/GearsOfWar
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard - will this play in to the “4 first party games a year” (link in comments)
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r/Diablo
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Does this mean Diablo is now owned by Microsoft?
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Judge rejects FTC's attempt to block Microsoft's $69 billion Activision deal
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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r/gamingnews
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FTC has been denied their preliminary injunction. Judge Corley rules in favor of Microsoft
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
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Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard